Psalms 74
74
1You walked off and left us, and never looked back.
God, how could you do that?
We’re your very own sheep;
how can you stomp off in anger?
2-3Refresh your memory of us—you bought us a long time ago.
Your most precious tribe—you paid a good price for us!
Your very own Mount Zion—you actually lived here once!
Come and visit the site of disaster,
see how they’ve wrecked the sanctuary.
4-8While your people were at worship, your enemies barged in,
brawling and scrawling graffiti.
They set fire to the porch;
axes swinging, they chopped up the woodwork,
Beat down the doors with sledgehammers,
then split them into kindling.
They burned your holy place to the ground,
violated the place of worship.
They said to themselves, “We’ll wipe them all out,”
and burned down all the places of worship.
9-17There’s not a sign or symbol of God in sight,
nor anyone to speak in his name,
no one who knows what’s going on.
How long, God, will barbarians blaspheme,
enemies curse and get by with it?
Why don’t you do something? How long are you going
to sit there with your hands folded in your lap?
God is my King from the very start;
he works salvation in the womb of the earth.
With one blow you split the sea in two,
you made mincemeat of the dragon Tannin.
You lopped off the heads of Leviathan,
then served them up in a stew for the animals.
With your finger you opened up springs and creeks,
and dried up the wild floodwaters.
You own the day, you own the night;
you put stars and sun in place.
You laid out the four corners of earth,
shaped the seasons of summer and winter.
18-21Mark and remember, God, all the enemy
taunts, each idiot desecration.
Don’t throw your lambs to the wolves;
after all we’ve been through, don’t forget us.
Remember your promises;
the city is in darkness, the countryside violent.
Don’t leave the victims to rot in the street;
make them a choir that sings your praises.
22-23On your feet, O God—
stand up for yourself!
Do you hear what they’re saying about you,
all the vile obscenities?
Don’t tune out their malicious filth,
the brawling invective that never lets up.
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Psalms 74: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Psalms 74
74
Psalm 74
A maskil #74:0 Unknown musical term. by Asaph.
1Why, O God, have you rejected us forever?
Why does your anger
smolder against the sheep in your care?
2Remember your congregation.
Long ago you made it your own.
You bought this tribe to be your possession.
This tribe is Mount Zion, where you have made your home.
3Turn your steps toward these pathetic ruins.
The enemy has destroyed everything in the holy temple.
4Your opponents have roared inside your meeting place.
They have set up their own emblems as symbols.
5Starting from its entrance, they hacked away
like a woodcutter in a forest.
6They smashed all its carved paneling with axes and hatchets.
7They burned your holy place to the ground.
They dishonored the place where you live among us.
8They said to themselves, “We will crush them.”
They burned every meeting place of God in the land.
9We no longer see miraculous signs.
There are no prophets anymore.
No one knows how long this will last.
10How long, O God, will the enemy insult us?
Will the enemy despise you forever?
11Why do you hold back your hand, especially your right hand?
Take your hands out of your pockets.
Destroy your enemies!
12And yet, from long ago God has been my king,
the one who has been victorious throughout the earth.
13You stirred up the sea with your own strength.
You smashed the heads of sea monsters in the water.
14You crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave them to the creatures of the desert for food.
15You opened the springs and brooks.
You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
16The day and the night are yours.
You set the moon and the sun in their places.
17You determined all the boundaries of the earth.
You created summer and winter.
18Remember how the enemy insulted you, O Lord.
Remember how an entire nation of godless fools despised your name.
19Do not hand over the soul of your dove to wild animals.
Do not forget the life of your oppressed people forever.
20Consider your promise #74:20 Or “covenant.”
because every dark corner of the land is filled with violence.
21Do not let oppressed people come back in disgrace.
Let weak and needy people praise your name.
22Arise, O God!
Fight for your own cause!
Remember how godless fools insult you all day long.
23Do not forget the shouting of your opponents.
Do not forget the uproar made by those who attack you.
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